Sean Dyche's injury-hit Nottingham Forest battled to a respectable goalless draw in the UEFA Europa League against Sturm Graz on Thursday evening. Heading into the game without several key first-team members through both injury and suspension, some eyebrows were raised when Elliot Anderson's name couldn't be seen on the teamsheet.
The England international has been pivotal to anything good the club have done this season, remaining an integral part of the starting XI under Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Dyche's reigns in the 2025-26 campaign. That's why alarm bells were ringing in Austria when it was confirmed Anderson would sit the match out.
Following the stalemate, the new Forest boss was quizzed on the 23-year-old's absence. He joined the likes of Igor Jesus, Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi in missing the trip to Graz.
Sean Dyche Confirms Elliot Anderson Injury Issues
Elliot Anderson
Per BBC Radio Nottingham, the manager confirmed his star midfielder had been suffering from multiple fitness issues in previous matches. Dyche responded to a question about Anderson's absence by saying: "He's been carrying a number of injuries.
"Obviously, he's been able to play, but with the heavy game schedule, he's been carrying knocks.
"We thought, 'hang on, we can't just keep going and going. At some point, he'll break if we're not careful.' All the others are injured. Until we can get them fit, it's going to be a challenge. That's quite apparent."
Struggling with multiple injuries, the English boss admitted it will take time to get his ideas and fitness regime across to his new set of players. He added: "I'm working with two other managers' squads and trying to bring that together and bring my own routine."
Taking over from Postecoglou in October, Dyche started his career at the City Ground with a promising 2-0 victory against Porto before suffering defeat at high-flying Bournemouth in the Premier League. Next up was a home contest against Ruben Amorim's Manchester United. The Tricky Trees emerged with a point from that clash after two second-half goals.
However, they didn't come out of the Red Devils tie without picking up further problems. Both Anderson and Hudson-Odoi featured in the Premier League fixture before missing the draw in Austria. A timescale hasn't been placed on either player as of yet, meaning their return might not come until after the November international break.